Final Fu
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 |
Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
| Final Fu | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Martial Arts Reality Show |
| Starring | Ernie Reyes Jr. and Competitors |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 20 episodes for one season |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 min. w/ commercials |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | MTV2 |
| Original run | July 17, 2006 – August 11, 2006 |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
Final Fu is an American reality television show that debuted on July 17, 2006. It will be on MTV2 at 7:30 pm ET and 11 pm ET on MTV It is hosted by actor Ernie Reyes, Jr. The show features practitioners of various styles of martial arts competing in one-on-one semi-contact point sparring matches and group competitions.
Contents |
[edit] Notable Competitors
- Lauren Cahoon (see notation)
- Ilram Choi
- Ruby Lopez
- Sanaz Shahbazi
- Daniel Sterling
- Jonathan Phan
- Abe Tran
[edit] Scoring
The reality competition is based on stand-up only, continuous point sparring. The target area is the upper leg and torso. No contact to the lower legs, back, groin, and head are allowed. There are also other areas where striking is not allowed, for instance, in one episode, a competitor is warned for striking the opponent on the left side hip.
The point system goes as follows:
- point for kicks to the target areas;
- points for "punching techniques" (i.e., punches) to the target areas, as well as jumping kicks and spinning kicks.
- points for jumping spinning back kicks.
Warnings and point deductions are given for the following reasons:
- Unnecessary roughness, Lack of control
- Striking the head, back, or outside the target area
Timidity (excessive lack of action/avoiding the other fighter) has occurred several times, but nobody has been punished for it.
[edit] Winners
[edit] Weekly
The Top 4 from each week move onto the final week, which aired August 7, 2006. The Top 4 from each week are as follows (Alphabetically):
Week 1: Jessica Mellon, Jonathan Phan, Bryan Rogers, and Hans Wikkeling
Week 2: Ilram Choi, Brian Hilliard, Eric Ro, and Jackson Spidell
Week 3: Chris Brewster, Justin Cox, Michelle Spencer, Daniel Sterling
Jessen Noviello replaced Eric Ro from week 2 after Eric suffered an injury
[edit] Final Week Results
Two contestants, unbenounced to the fighters, would be eliminated after their first challenge on Monday, leaving ten competitors. They were: Jessica Mellon, and Hans Wikkeling
After the last challenge and the first round of fights, the four contestants who had the lowest overall scores departed on Wednesday, leaving six competitors. They were: Jessen Noviello, Jonathan Phan, Bryan Rogers and Michelle Spencer.
A six person competition continued the contest on Thursday. During this day the six remaining contestants had a 1 minute match with each of the other five contestants, leading to a total of 15 matches. The four individuals with the lowest overall scores departed the competition. They were: Chris Brewster, Ilram Choi, Justin Cox, and Brian Hilliard
The two final contestants for Friday were Daniel Sterling and Jackson Spidell. One three round fight between these two determined fighters would decide the winner of the month long competition. After a very close fight, with both competitors putting it all on the line, Daniel won the final match with a score of 126 points over Jackson's 118. This win earned Daniel 25,000 dollars, trips to Japan, Korea, and China, and the title of the Final Fu.
[edit] Controversy
The show has received a negative response from a number of those involved in the martial arts community. Although some were simply happy to see their art gain exposure on TV, others viewed the challenges as trivial and the sparring matches as less than professional. A number of competitors have displayed an unfamiliarity with point sparring. This has ranged from having trouble properly taking hits to paying little or no attention to defense, instead going for as many body punches as possible. Although this strategy is common in sporting matches, it is frowned upon by many traditional martial artists. The sparring has also been targeteted for not allowing clinch fighting, ground fighting, or head strikes, which alienates a sizable group of traditional martial artists.
The show has also been criticized for having a very imbalanced roster. There are several practitioners of Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and variants of Karate and Kempo, but many other popular styles such as Muay Thai and San Shou/Sanda are not represented at all. The representation of styles are as follows:
Tae Kwon Do (16), Tang Soo Do (10), Capoeira (10), Shorei-ryu (5), Red Dragon Karate (6), Shotokan (2), Karate (1), Okinawan Karate (1), Sho Dan Karate (1), Isshin Ryu (2), Moo Du Kwon (1), EMC Martial Arts(1), Hung Gar (1), American Karate System (2), Kickboxing (1), Kempo (1), Wushu (1), Moo Yea Do (1), Soo Bahk Do (1), Koga Ryu Ninjitsu Do (1)
Others have taken issue with the fact that while the show declares that its contestants are "30 of the world's best," they seem to be very unevenly matched. Many of the competitors are only first degree blackbelts while a number are third degree and others such as Brian and Jabari are world class champions. However, viewers must bear in mind that all contestants, despite their level of skill, are all amateurs. The show also strives to match fighters of equal skill in the sparring portions through power matching. (i.e., Those in first and second place square off against each other, etc.)
Although the show is not without its criticism it has managed to find a solid audience in its key demographic. The show has scored consistently strong ratings for MTV and especially MTV2. However, no plans for a second season have yet been announced.
[edit] Lauren Cahoon
Lauren Cahoon voluntarily left competition after the second day. She displayed unsportsmanlike conduct, calling names (e.g., referring to others as "Tae Kwon Dorks") and complaining (e.g., after losing to Michelle Spencer she asserted she didn't mind losing to people better than her, but claimed that Michelle didn't belong in that category) while it was her apparent inability to adapt to the contest that caused her to lose her first fight. Lauren Cahoon's anger came from the fact that she is currently on the U.S. Senior national team for taekwondo Olympic sparring. She is arguably the best heavyweight female full contact taekwondo sparring competitor in the U.S.
[edit] External links
- Final Fu Offical webpage
- Does Final Fu Give Martial Arts a Black Eye?
- Final Fu Review-Fan Site webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 1 webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 2 webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 3 webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 4 webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 5 webpage another thread
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 6 webpage
- Final Fu Forum Discussion 7 webpage
- Article: The FINAL FU on MTV2 - Kung Fu Magazine
